My parents raised on me the classic movie musicals: Singing in the Rain, White Christmas, On the Town, etc. We were particularly big fans of Gene Kelly's swift footwork and athletic dancing.
Recently, I stumbled across an old movie musical that I was unfamiliar with: the 1941 film Hellzapoppin' based on the Broadway musical of the same name. This film adaptation featured a dance number that absolutely blew me away. I feel like nothing I've seen from current pop stars comes even close to what these dancers can do!
The specific dancers featured in the video below are a Lindy Hop performance group called Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, though they've also gone by the Harlem Congaroos. They got their start working the iconic Cotton Club in Harlem, and they were so successful that they were eventually featured in the Broadway version of Hellzapoppin' and then the movie.
Most of the film is probably best left forgotten, but I definitely think this show-stopping dance number needs to carry on through history.
Based on a mix of swing, jazz, tap, and the Charleston, the Lindy Hop is an athletic dance that grew in popularity during the swing era of the 1930s and '40s.
The athletic, exciting, invigorating dance in the video below shows just how incredible the true Lindy Hop actually was.
Please, please SHARE this exciting video if you wish more people could dance like this!
